Vacuum assisted storage device

ABSTRACT

A vacuum assisted storage device may include a body having one or more walls which may define a storage cavity. Objects may be positioned within the storage cavity, and the storage cavity may be surrounded by an air impermeable material. The body may comprise a cavity closure which may govern access to the storage cavity by being movable between a closed position and an open position. When the cavity closure is in the closed position, air may be prevented from entering the storage cavity. A vacuum pump may be in communication with the storage cavity, and the vacuum pump may be operable to pump air out of the storage cavity thereby decreasing the volume of the storage cavity and optionally decreasing the size of one or more objects within the storage cavity.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority to and the benefit of the filing date of U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/479,824, filed on Mar. 31, 2017, entitled “VACUUM ASSISTED STORAGE DEVICE”, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This patent specification relates to the field of devices that are configured to store and transport objects. More specifically, this patent specification relates to devices which are configured to receive objects and to store the objects in a compact size through assistance of a vacuum to facilitate transport of the device and objects.

BACKGROUND

Individuals frequently must transport objects from place to place. To facilitate the transport of multiple objects, they may be placed in portable storage devices such as backpacks, duffle bags, and travel bags, other bags, soft and hard suitcases, wheeled travel cases, and the like. These portable storage devices enable the user to easily move about while the portable storage devices contain and support the weight of the objects contained therein. However, no matter what size and shape these portable storage devices are configured in, they all have a limited interior space that they define. Each object that a user desires to position within that limited space occupies a volume. For this reason, the number of objects that conventional portable storage devices can accommodate is limited by the volume of the objects. If a user wishes to transport more objects, they must carry them by hand or use another storage device. Unfortunately they may be left with no free hands and must let go of a storage device or object in order to interact with doors, cashiers, and the like. Additionally, for portable storage devices that are somewhat flexible, when filled to capacity these devices can become bulky and unwieldy.

Therefore, a need exists for novel devices that are configured to facilitate the storage and transport of objects. There is also a need for novel portable storage devices which are able to accommodate more objects than similar sized conventional portable storage devices. Finally, a need exists for novel portable storage devices which are able to store objects in a while remaining relatively compact and easy to maneuver.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A vacuum assisted storage device is provided which is configured to facilitate the storage and transport of objects in a vacuum to reduce the size of the device and/or objects contained therein. In some embodiments, the device may include a body having one or more walls which may define a storage cavity. Objects may be positioned within the storage cavity, and the storage cavity may be surrounded by an air impermeable material. The body may comprise a cavity closure which may govern access to the storage cavity by being movable between a closed position and an open position. When the cavity closure is in the closed position, air may be prevented from entering the storage cavity. A vacuum pump may be in communication with the storage cavity, and the vacuum pump may be operable to pump air out of the storage cavity thereby decreasing the volume of the storage cavity and optionally decreasing the size of one or more objects within.

In further embodiments, a vacuum pump may be a hand operated, foot operated, or otherwise operable by a user and may comprise a handle coupled to a shaft housing a piston, and by moving the handle relative to the body, a user may operate the piston to pump air out of the storage cavity.

In other embodiments, a vacuum pump may be electrically operated and the device may further comprise one or more power supplies, control inputs, and/or local interfaces which may be operable to pump air out of the storage cavity.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Some embodiments of the present invention are illustrated as an example and are not limited by the figures of the accompanying drawings, in which like references may indicate similar elements and in which:

FIG. 1 depicts a perspective view of an example of a vacuum assisted storage device according to various embodiments described herein.

FIG. 2 illustrates a side elevation view of an example of a vacuum assisted storage device according to various embodiments described herein.

FIG. 3 shows a block diagram of an example of a vacuum assisted storage device according to various embodiments described herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. As used herein, the term “and/or” includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items. As used herein, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well as the singular forms, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises” and/or “comprising,” when used in this specification, specify the presence of stated features, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof.

For purposes of description herein, the terms “upper”, “lower”, “left”, “right”, “rear”, “front”, “side”, “vertical”, “horizontal”, and derivatives thereof shall relate to the invention as oriented in FIG. 1. However, one will understand that the invention may assume various alternative orientations and step sequences, except where expressly specified to the contrary. Therefore, the specific devices and processes illustrated in the attached drawings, and described in the following specification, are simply exemplary embodiments of the inventive concepts defined in the appended claims. Hence, specific dimensions and other physical characteristics relating to the embodiments disclosed herein are not to be considered as limiting, unless the claims expressly state otherwise.

Although the terms “first”, “second”, etc. are used herein to describe various elements, these elements should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one element from another element. For example, the first element may be designated as the second element, and the second element may be likewise designated as the first element without departing from the scope of the invention.

As used in this application, the term “about” or “approximately” refers to a range of values within plus or minus 10% of the specified number. Additionally, as used in this application, the term “substantially” means that the actual value is within about 10% of the actual desired value, particularly within about 5% of the actual desired value and especially within about 1% of the actual desired value of any variable, element or limit set forth herein.

Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientific terms) used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one having ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. It will be further understood that terms, such as those defined in commonly used dictionaries, should be interpreted as having a meaning that is consistent with their meaning in the context of the relevant art and the present disclosure and will not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense unless expressly so defined herein.

In describing the invention, it will be understood that a number of techniques and steps are disclosed. Each of these has individual benefit and each can also be used in conjunction with one or more, or in some cases all, of the other disclosed techniques. Accordingly, for the sake of clarity, this description will refrain from repeating every possible combination of the individual steps in an unnecessary fashion. Nevertheless, the specification and claims should be read with the understanding that such combinations are entirely within the scope of the invention and the claims.

A new portable storage device is discussed herein. In the following description, for purposes of explanation, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present invention. It will be evident, however, to one skilled in the art that the present invention may be practiced without these specific details.

The present disclosure is to be considered as an exemplification of the invention, and is not intended to limit the invention to the specific embodiments illustrated by the figures or description below.

The present invention will now be described by example and through referencing the appended figures representing preferred and alternative embodiments. FIGS. 1-3 illustrate examples of a vacuum assisted storage device (“the device”) 100 according to various embodiments. In some embodiments, the device 100 may comprise a body 11 having one or more walls 12 which may define a storage cavity 13. Objects may be positioned within the storage cavity 13, and the storage cavity 13 may be surrounded, and optionally formed, by an air impermeable material 21. The body 11 may comprise a cavity closure 14 which may govern access to the storage cavity 13 by being movable between a closed position and an open position. When in the cavity closure 14 is in the closed position, air may be prevented from entering the storage cavity 13. A vacuum pump 31 may be in communication with the storage cavity 13, and the vacuum pump 31 may be operable to pump air out of the storage cavity 13 thereby decreasing the volume of the storage cavity 13 and optionally decreasing the size of one or more objects within the storage cavity 13.

The body 11 may comprise one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, or more walls 12 which may define one or more storage cavities 13. The walls 12 may be configured in any size or shape thereby allowing the body 11 and one or more storage cavities 13 to be configured in any size or shape. In some embodiments, a wall 12 may be configured in a generally rectangular shape, while in further embodiments a wall 12 may be configured in curved or cylindrical shapes. However, it should be understood to one of ordinary skill in the art that the body 11, wall(s) 12, storage cavity(s) 13, and any other element discussed herein may be configured in a plurality of sizes and shapes including “T” shaped, “X” shaped, square shaped, rectangular shaped, cylinder shaped, cuboid shaped, hexagonal prism shaped, triangular prism shaped, or any other geometric or non-geometric shape, including combinations of shapes. It is not intended herein to mention all the possible alternatives, equivalent forms or ramifications of the invention. It is understood that the terms and proposed shapes used herein are merely descriptive, rather than limiting, and that various changes, such as to size and shape, may be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention.

In some embodiments, the body 11 and/or one or more walls 12 may be made from or comprise a substantially rigid material. For example, the body 11 may comprise a lower wall 12 which may be substantially rigid while the other walls 12 may be generally flexible. In another example, the body 11 may comprise one or more walls 12 which may be substantially rigid thereby allowing the body 11 to be configured as a hard sided case. A substantially rigid material may comprise steel alloys, aluminum, aluminum alloys, copper alloys, any other type of metal or metal alloy, any type of ceramic, various types of hard plastics, such as polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP) and polyvinyl chloride (PVC), polycarbonate, nylon, Poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) also known as acrylic, melamine, hard rubbers, fiberglass, carbon fiber, resins, such as epoxy resin, wood, other plant based materials, or any other material including combinations of materials that are substantially rigid.

In some embodiments, the body 11 and/or one or more walls 12 may be made from or comprise a substantially flexible material. For example, the body 11 may comprise a wall 12 which may be substantially rigid while the other walls 12 may be generally flexible. In another example, the body 11 may comprise one or more walls 12 which may be substantially flexible thereby allowing the body 11 to be configured as a bag, pack, satchel, or other generally flexible object carrying device. A substantially flexible material may comprise various types of flexible plastics such as polyvinyl chloride, natural or synthetic rubber, synthetic fabrics such as polyester, acrylic, nylon, rayon, acetate, spandex, lastex, and Kevlar, and natural fabrics such as coir, cotton, hemp, jute, canvas, flax, leather, linen, ramie, wool, silk, or any other suitable flexible natural or synthetic material including combinations of materials.

The body 11 may comprise or contain one or more storage cavities 13 which may be sized and shaped to contain one or more objects. A storage cavity 13 may be surrounded by an air impermeable material 21. Optionally, a storage cavity 13 may be bound and formed by an air impermeable material 21, such as by the body 11 and/or one or more walls 12 being formed from or comprising an air impermeable material 21. In some embodiments, an air impermeable material 21 may form or may be coupled to one or more walls 12 of the device 100 thereby allowing the air impermeable material 21 in or coupled to the walls 12 to form and bound the storage cavity 13. In other embodiments, an air impermeable material 21 may be positioned proximate to the one or more walls 12 to form and bound the storage cavity 13 while all or portions of the air impermeable material 21 may moved towards any away from one or more walls 12.

In some embodiments, an air impermeable material 21 may be made from any generally flexible material through which air cannot pass through such as flexible nylon, polyurethane, vinyl, High-density polyethylene (HDPE), other types of polyethylene, polyvinyl chloride, rubber, silicone, natural or synthetic rubber, or any other suitable flexible material. In other embodiments, an air impermeable material 21 may be made from any generally rigid material through which air cannot pass through such as various types of hard plastics, metal and metal alloys, or any other suitable materials that are substantially rigid.

The device 100 may comprise one or more cavity closures 14 which may govern access to the storage cavity 13 by being movable between a closed position and an open position. When a cavity closure 14 is in an open position, objects and air may be moved into and out of the storage cavity 13, while when a cavity closure 14 is in a closed position, air may not enter into the storage cavity 13 and objects may not be moved into and out of the storage cavity 13. In some embodiments, a cavity closure 14 may comprise an air tight zipper, a press fit seal, or any other air tight sealing method which may be moved between an open position and a closed position. In further embodiments, the device 100 may optionally comprise a lid 15 which may be movably coupled to one or more walls 12 and to a cavity closure 14, and the lid may be opened or closed as governed by the cavity closure 14 to allow or prevent access to the storage cavity 13.

The device 100 may comprise one or more vacuum pumps 31 which may be in communication with the storage cavity 13. A vacuum pump 31 may be operable to pump air out of and/or into the storage cavity 13. When a cavity closure 14 governing access to the storage cavity 13 is in a closed position, a vacuum pump 31 may be operable to pump air out of the storage cavity 13 which may decrease the size of the storage cavity 13 and optionally decrease the size of the body 11 and/or the size of one or more objects in the storage cavity 13.

In some embodiments, a vacuum pump 31 may be a hand operated, foot operated, or otherwise operable by a user. For example, a vacuum pump 31 may comprise a handle 32 coupled to a shaft 33 housing a piston, and by moving the handle 32 relative to the body 11, a user may operate the piston to pump air out of the storage cavity 13. In another example, a vacuum pump 31 may comprise a foot pedal housing a piston, and by moving the foot pedal relative to the body 11, a user may operate the piston to pump air out of the storage cavity 13.

In other embodiments, a vacuum pump 31 may be electrically operated and may comprise a positive displacement pump such as a rotary vane pump, a diaphragm pump, a liquid ring pump, a piston pump, a scroll pump, a screw pump, a Wankel pump, an external vane pump, a roots blower or booster pump, a multistage roots pump, a Toepler pump, a lobe pump, or any other suitable positive displacement pump. In further alternative embodiments, a vacuum pump 31 may comprise a momentum transfer pump, a regenerative pump, an entrapment pump, or any other type of pump which may be suitable for motivating air out of a storage cavity 13.

In some embodiments, the device 100 may comprise one or more storage compartments 16 which may be separate from the storage cavity 13 and which may be configured to store one or more items. For example, a storage compartment 16 may comprise a pocket, pouch, container, or the like into which a user may store their keys, cell phone, or other objects. In further embodiments, a compartment 16 may be governed by a fastener 17, such as a zipper, snap closure, magnetic closure, or any other type of fastener, which may allow or prevent objects from being inserted into and removed from a compartment 16.

Optionally, the device 100 may comprise one or more transportation conveyances 18 which may facilitate the ability of a user to carry or otherwise transport the device 100 and which may be coupled anywhere on the body 11. In some embodiments, a transportation conveyance 18 may comprise a strap which may be used to carry the device 100 by hand and/or to carry the device on or over the shoulder of a user. A strap may be made from synthetic materials and fibers such as nylon webbing, polypropylene webbing, polyester webbing, neoprene foam rubber, polyester fabrics, rayon fabrics, and from natural materials and fibers such as cotton webbing, flax webbing, other fabrics, such as flax, coir, cotton, hemp, jute, leather, linen, ramie, wool, silk or any other type of natural or synthetic fibers or materials including combinations of materials. Optionally, the device 100 may comprise one or more buckles 19, such as side release buckles, buckles, clasps, slides, loops, reducers, cam buckles, strap adjusters, snap hooks, D rings, tri-loops, footman loops, keepers, cord locks, strap locks, or any other suitable means for adjusting the length of a strap type transportation conveyance 18.

In further embodiments, a transportation conveyance 18 may be configured to support the body 11 above a ground surface while reducing the friction between the body 11 and the ground surface. A friction reducing transportation conveyance 18 may comprise a wheel, a caster, a tread or track, a low friction pad or bumper, a low friction plate, a ski, a pontoon, or any other suitable device configured to reduce the friction between the device 100 and the surface over which it is desired to be moved.

In some embodiments, the device 100 may comprise a power supply 41 which may provide electrical power to any component of the device 100 that may require electrical power. A power supply 41 may comprise a battery, such as a lithium ion battery, nickel cadmium battery, alkaline battery, or any other suitable type of battery, a fuel cell, a capacitor, a super capacitor, or any other type of energy storing and/or electricity releasing device. In further embodiments, a power supply 41 may comprise a power cord, kinetic or piezo electric battery charging device, a solar cell or photovoltaic cell, and/or inductive charging or wireless power receiver.

In some embodiments, the device 100 may comprise one or more control inputs 42 that a user may interact with such as turnable control knobs, depressible button type switches, a key pad, slide type switches, rocker type switches, or any other suitable input that may be used to modulate electricity to any component of the device 100. For example, a control input 42 may be configured to control one or more functions of the device 100 such as to operate an electrically operated vacuum pump 31.

In some embodiments, the device 100 may comprise a local interface 43, such as a circuit board, which may be used to communicatively couple one or more elements of the device 100 such as a vacuum pump 31, power supply 41, and control input 42. In preferred embodiments, a local interface 43 may be an integrated circuit (IC) that integrates one or more components on a single chip sometimes called a system on a chip (SoC) or system on chip (SOC). In further preferred embodiments, a local interface 43 may be a microcontroller (or MCU, short for microcontroller unit) which may be a small computer (SoC) on a single integrated circuit containing a processor, memory, and programmable input/output interfaces or peripherals. Program memory in the form of Ferroelectric RAM, NOR flash or OTP ROM is also often included on chip, as well as a typically small amount of RAM. Microcontrollers are designed for embedded applications, in contrast to the microprocessors used in personal computers or other general purpose applications consisting of various discrete chips. Microcontrollers are used in automatically controlled products and devices, such as automobile engine control systems, implantable medical devices, remote controls, office machines, appliances, power tools, toys and other embedded systems. By reducing the size and cost compared to a design that uses a separate microprocessor, memory, and input/output devices, microcontrollers make it economical to digitally control even more devices and processes. Mixed signal microcontrollers are common, integrating analog components needed to control non-digital electronic systems.

While some materials have been provided, in other embodiments, the elements that comprise the device 100 such as the walls 12, optional lid 15, optional handle 32, optional shaft 33, optional storage compartments 16, and/or any other element discussed herein may be made from durable materials such as aluminum, steel, other metals and metal alloys, wood, hard rubbers, hard plastics, fiber reinforced plastics, carbon fiber, fiber glass, resins, polymers or any other suitable materials including combinations of materials. Additionally, one or more elements may be made from or comprise durable and slightly flexible materials such as soft plastics, silicone, soft rubbers, or any other suitable materials including combinations of materials. In some embodiments, one or more of the elements that comprise the device 100 may be coupled or connected together with heat bonding, chemical bonding, adhesives, clasp type fasteners, clip type fasteners, rivet type fasteners, threaded type fasteners, other types of fasteners, or any other suitable joining method. In other embodiments, one or more of the elements that comprise the device 100 may be coupled or removably connected by being press fit or snap fit together, by one or more fasteners such as hook and loop type or Velcro® fasteners, magnetic type fasteners, threaded type fasteners, sealable tongue and groove fasteners, snap fasteners, clip type fasteners, clasp type fasteners, ratchet type fasteners, a push-to-lock type connection method, a turn-to-lock type connection method, slide-to-lock type connection method or any other suitable temporary connection method as one reasonably skilled in the art could envision to serve the same function. In further embodiments, one or more of the elements that comprise the device 100 may be coupled by being one of connected to and integrally formed with another element of the device 100.

Although the present invention has been illustrated and described herein with reference to preferred embodiments and specific examples thereof, it will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that other embodiments and examples may perform similar functions and/or achieve like results. All such equivalent embodiments and examples are within the spirit and scope of the present invention, are contemplated thereby, and are intended to be covered by the following claims. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A vacuum assisted storage device, the device comprising: a. a body having one or more walls which may define a storage cavity, wherein the storage cavity is configured to receive one or more objects; b. an air impermeable material surrounding the storage cavity; c. a cavity closure configured to govern access to the storage cavity by being movable between a closed position and an open position, wherein when the cavity closure is in the closed position, air is prevented from entering the storage cavity; and d. a vacuum pump in communication with the storage cavity, the vacuum pump operable to pump air out of the storage cavity thereby decreasing the volume of the storage cavity. 